Gunners' new head boy needs sidekicks

16 August 2010 15:22
TEAMtalk's Jon Holmes gives his view on Marouane Chamakh's Arsenal debut, and checks out the other new arrivals in Sunday's Anfield encounter.[LNB] Hair gel manufacturers rejoice! Having lost Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, you now have a new Premier League poster boy.[LNB]And for Arsenal players raising their gaze to look for their target man, Marouane Chamakh's spiky comb is easy to spot. To paraphrase Monty Python's Dead Parrot sketch: "the Moroccan Red - beautiful plumage."[LNB]However, in a canary yellow shirt on his competitive Gunners debut at Anfield on Sunday, the former Bordeaux man struggled to demonstrate exactly why he has been Europe's best aerial attacker for the last two seasons.[LNB]Fortunately for him and Arsenal, Pepe Reina's sticky moment - which brought hoots of laughter from the visiting fans fuming at the goalkeeper's role in last month's Cesc Fabregas Barcelona shirt stunt - resulted in a point apiece on the opening weekend.[LNB]Chamakh won't come up against much tougher centre-backs than Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel in the coming months. The Reds rearguard were rock solid all afternoon, and Chamakh bounced off them repeatedly when attempting to hold the ball up or flick it on.[LNB]But he was not aided by Arsenal's narrow approach play, and the lack of quality deliveries from wide areas. Emmanuel Eboue was all effort and no quality in his hour on the right side of midfield, and his replacement Theo Walcott played in a more central role when introduced.[LNB]On the other flank, Andriy Arshavin has pleaded for patience after citing problems with a thigh injury, but he was so ineffective on a ground he has starred at in previous seasons that it is a surprise he lasted the full 90 minutes. Gael Clichy rarely got forward in the second half, but finally Tomas Rosicky came left and was given enough time and space to float in a decent ball that Chamakh got something on, enough to divert the ball onto the post anyway, and Reina did the rest.[LNB]Of course, the Gunners are still getting used to having Chamakh up front but the primary reason Arsene Wenger has signed him is for his prowess to convert crosses. While Samir Nasri's central prompting kept Liverpool on their toes, Arsenal were never going to get much joy through the middle with Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard deployed there, so those heading down the wings are going to have to do better in future.[LNB]The next away game for Arsene Wenger's side is at Blackburn on August 28, when they'll come up against Chris Samba and Ryan Nelsen, screened by Phil Jones and probably Steven Nzonzi too - another powerful quartet. The return of a fully-fit Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie will help immensely but if selected, Chamakh and his coiffure are going to need quality product if they're to make shockwaves this season.[LNB]As for the other new Gunner on show, Laurent Koscielny looked assured at the back alongside Thomas Vermaelen and his precision headers from defence helped considerably in Arsenal's possession dominance, each nod down or forward placed carefully at the feet of a team-mate. His second booking for handball was very harsh, and he maintained concentration to keep track of Fernando Torres in the final quarter of an hour. Jack Wilshere, on his first Premier League start for Arsenal, will have gained a great deal from one of the steepest junctures in his learning curve. Coming up against a defensive-minded Gerrard, the 18-year-old stood up well to his opponent but ultimately the one significant pass he failed to control was punished by an alert Mascherano, whose assist was converted in style by David Ngog. Clearly Manuel Almunia should have saved the shot at his near post, but that won't make young Wilshere feel any better.[LNB]Liverpool's debutant duo were Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic. Cole endured a difficult day to say the least, failing to match the spark of Nasri in their roles playing off the front man, and his frustration manifested itself in his attempted block on Koscielny that just about crossed the line between over-eager and dangerous. Jovanovic charged around on the left side of the Reds midfield; his strength and endeavour are great assets, but his wild first-half shot when Cole was well placed in the box suggested his rough edges will need to be ironed out.[LNB]A Spanish goalkeeper's handling blunder, and a Liverpool midfielder's reckless red card - but the usual suspects weren't to blame on an inconclusive afternoon on Merseyside. Going forward, the identity of Arsenal's shot-stopper may change soon, and with Inter Milan banking £25million from the sale of Mario Balotelli to Manchester City over the weekend, former Reds boss Rafael Benitez may get closer to Mascherano's valuation with his next bid. The season starts on the second weekend of September - until then, it's mostly up in the air.

Source: Team_Talk